Royal honour for diamond couple

A DIAMOND couple were honoured with a card from The Queen on their milestone wedding anniversary.

Don and Margaret Terry celebrated 60 years of wedded bless and said they are still as in love as ever.

The couple, who are both 81, met as 18-year-olds during a dance at the former miners’ hall in Horden when Don was a miner at Blackhall Colliery and Margaret, whose maiden name is Fishwick, worked for Price’s clothing factory in Hartlepool.

After two years of courtship, Don proposed.

The couple tied the knot a year later, on September 6, 1952, at St Mary’s Church, in Horden.

Their first home together was in Little Eden, in Peterlee, and then they moved to Surtees Road, in the town, while Don was a retained fireman at Peterlee Fire Station for 11 years alongside his mining job.

The couple went on to have two children, Ian, 49, and Anthony, 42, and are now grandparents to Christian, 16, Frazer, 13 and eight-year-old Ebba.

The Terrys celebrated their special day with a quiet meal, but were due to be celebrating today with family, including daughter-in-law Fiona, and friends during a party at their home in Blackhall.

Mr Terry, who was a miner until he retired, said: “It was quite surprising to receive a card from the Queen, it was quite an honour.”

He added that the secret to their long and happy marriage was “just getting on with it – anything you bump into you either get over it or go around it”.